1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a riding seat structure in which a seat member which constitutes a part of a riding seat is supported on a body frame of a vehicle while its position is variable between a closed position where the seat member allows an occupant to sit thereon while covering at least one of maintenance spaces and a housing space from above; and an open position where the at least one of the maintenance space and the housing space is opened, and to a vehicle including the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improvement to a riding seat structure which enables an upper opening of a housing space and a maintenance space to be widely opened when a seat member is in its open position, and to a vehicle including the same.
2. Description of the Background Art
There is known, for example, as disclosed in the Japanese Patent No. 4690992, a service vehicle in which a seat member being a part of a riding seat is turnably supported at its front part in a vehicle front-rear direction by a front part of a seat supporting member constituting a part of a body frame via a hinge, and the seat member is turnable between a closed position where the seat member allows an occupant to sit thereon while covering, from above, a storage box that is disposed above a fuel tank and attachable to and detachable from the seat supporting member; and an open position where the storage box is opened.
However, when one tries to carry out maintenance of the fuel tank in the vehicle disclosed in the Japanese Patent No. 4690992 by turning the seat member to its open position and taking the storage box out, an opening portion provided in the seat supporting member to let the fuel tank be exposed to the outside cannot be opened widely since the seat member in its open position is located between a group of a steering wheel and an instrument panel, and the opening portion. Hence, maintenance work is hard to carry out. Accordingly, how to increase a space for maintenance work is an issue to be resolved.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. Accordingly, it one of the objects of the present invention to provide a riding seat structure in a passenger vehicle which enables an upper opening of at least one of a housing space and a maintenance space to be widely opened when a seat member is in its open position.